A vegan caramel slice with a buttery gluten-free shortbread base, creamy date caramel middle, and a raw cacao chocolate topping.
This vegan caramel slice recipe is hands down one of my favorite vegan desserts that I’ve tried! It pretty much has it all.
The bottom shortbread layer is flaky and buttery and adds a nice crunch. The flaxseeds also give a nice toasty flavor and some added texture.
The middle caramel layer is creamy, gooey, and sweetened naturally using just dates. Dates are actually super versatile for vegan desserts and I use them in just about everything, including my bliss ball recipes!
I use Medjool dates because they have a richer, more caramel-like flavor compared to normal dates. Steeping the dates in warm water also helps to bring out that caramely goodness.
Oh and let’s not forget about the top layer of these caramel slices…that’s where the magic happens…the chocolate layer.
But it’s not just any chocolate, it’s a decadent vegan chocolate made with raw cacao!
Related: 5 Amazing Benefits Of Raw Cacao
Three delicious layers of chocolaty, caramely, crunchy goodness. What’s not to love?
Are vegan caramel slices healthy?
I try to stick to healthy recipes with lots of colorful, fresh fruits and veggies here at Living Fresh Daily. But everyone has to treat themselves occasionally right?
Desserts get a bad rep because they are traditionally pretty fattening and unhealthy, but they don’t actually have to be that way.
I try to keep my dessert recipes as healthy as possible without losing that delicious sweet flavor that we all crave, and this caramel slice recipe is no exception!
I make my desserts healthier by sweetening them with natural sources like dates, syrup, or agave nectar, and using no added sugar.
I also try to incorporate “superfoods” into my desserts wherever possible, like the flaxseeds in the bottom layer or the raw cacao in the top layer.
Related: Superfood Matcha Bliss Balls
While a good dessert will probably never be as healthy as a superfood smoothie, they can still be a lot less fattening and detrimental to our health than most people realize – especially as an occasional treat.
How To Make A
Vegan Caramel Slice
Preheat oven to 350 F. Pit the dates, then steep them in warm water for 10 minutes.
While the oven preheats, add melted vegan butter, almond flour, flaxseeds, and shredded coconut to a food processor. Mix together until you reach a “doughy” consistency.
Line a 7″ x 7″ square baking pan with parchment paper and spread the shortbread mixture into the pan evenly.
Once oven is preheated, bake the shortbread for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crispy on top.
While the shortbread layer bakes, drain the steeped dates.
To make the date caramel, add dates, almond butter, 3 tbsp almond milk, 2 tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and salt to a food processor.
Mix until well combined and you reach a “paste” consistency.
Once the shortbread base has finished baking, spread the date caramel over the top in an even layer.
To make the chocolate layer, melt 2 tbsp coconut oil over low heat in a small saucepan. Stir in 1/4 cup almond milk and the agave until combined.
Whisk in the raw cacao until well combined and smooth. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
While chocolate is still hot, pour the chocolate over the caramel layer and spread it evenly.
Put the vegan caramel slice in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to let it set and harden. Once hardened, remove from freezer, cut into slices, and enjoy!
I made this recipe almost entirely out of ingredients from my last Thrive Market order.
Thrive Market is an organic online grocery store that regularly saves me about 30% off my grocery bill! I get all of my dry goods and non-perishables there.
Get an extra 25% off your first order here!
I absolutely love layered dessert bars, and the chocolate-caramel flavor combo is a classic.
The success of these vegan caramel slices has me super excited to try out other dessert bar flavors soon, so stay tuned for more recipes like this one!
Blueberry crumb, cookies and cream, raspberry cheesecake, the dessert bar possibilities really are endless. Let me know if there’s a specific flavor you want to see me make!
Did you try this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments below and be sure to leave a rating!
Vegan Caramel Slice
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 60 mins
- Yield: 12 Bars 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A vegan caramel slice with a buttery gluten-free shortbread base, creamy date caramel middle, and a raw cacao chocolate topping.
Ingredients
Gluten Free Shortbread
- 1/2 cup Vegan Butter, melted
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 3 tbsp Flaxseed
- 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut
Date Caramel
- 1.5 cups Medjool Dates, pitted (about 12 dates)
- 2 tbsp Almond Butter
- 3 tbsp Almond Milk
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- large pinch Salt, to taste
Vegan Chocolate
- 1/4 cup Almond Milk
- 1/4 cup Raw Cacao Powder
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Agave Nectar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Pit the dates and steep them in warm water for 10 minutes.
- Mix the gluten free shortbread ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly combined and you reach a “doughy” consistency
- Line a 7″ x 7″ square baking pan with parchment paper and spread the shortbread mixture into the pan evenly. Once oven is preheated, bake the shortbread for 15-17 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
- While the shortbread base bakes, add the date caramel ingredients into a food processor and mix until well combined and you reach a “paste” consistency.
- Once shortbread is done baking, spread the date caramel in an even layer over the shortbread.
- For the chocolate layer, melt coconut oil over low heat in a small saucepan. Stir in milk and agave until combined. Whisk in the raw cacao until well combined and smooth. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour chocolate layer over the caramel layer and spread evenly. Put the vegan caramel slice in the freezer for 30 minutes to let set and harden. Once set, remove from freezer, cut, and enjoy!
- Category: Dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bar
- Calories: 231
- Sugar: 18.1g
- Sodium: 2mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 10.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24.2g
- Fiber: 3.7g
- Protein: 3.1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: Vegan Caramel Slice, Gluten Free Caramel Slice
Trying these tomorrow can’t wait!
★★★★★
These are amazing! I tried them out yesterday, so easy to make, lots of healthy ingredients and sooooo yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Jessica, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Definitely one of my favorite vegan desserts!
How much agave, it’s not listed in the ingredients
Whoops thanks for catching that Barb! It’s supposed to be 2 tbsp of agave nectar for the chocolate layer.
What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe for the crust and used coconut oil instead of vegan butter and it turned out way too liquidy and wouldn’t cook! I think the 1/2 cup of oil was way too much proportionally to the flour. The Caramel is so good I could die! It’s definitely going to be a staple in my household now! That definitely worked for me. I just sprinkled vegan sugar free chocolate chips on the top of the caramel after it was on the crust I found another recipe for which had more almond flour and put it back in the oven for 3 minutes and then smoothed the chocolate out which worked really well! I think just adding about 1 more cup of almond flour helped a lot.
Hey Anna,
I’m sorry the 1/2 cup of oil didn’t work out for you but I’m glad you were able to make it work and ended up enjoying it! This is definitely one of my fav desserts. I generally use vegan butter instead of coconut oil for the crust part and 1/2 cup is what I use. That amount works great for me but I’m in Colorado and baking at altitude can dry things out faster and you usually need a bit more liquid than if you are baking at sea level. Maybe that’s why you found it to be too liquidy. I’ll have to make these again this week and use coconut oil and see how it goes. The chocolate chips on top is a great idea, even easier than making your own with the cacao powder!
Cheers,
Kailey
These are so brilliant! I made these in the sunny rainy country of England. To fill a 9 inch pan I had to increase the quantities of EVERYTHING by adding half extra of every measurement and ingredient. It worked a dream. Non vegan caramel slices are waaaay too sickly sweet for me but this was amazing. I will sweeten the crust next time with agave. I used maple syrup and felt like the recipe lacked a bit of sweetness. Is agave sweeter than maple? If so I will use agave next time. Kailey you rock, thank you xxx
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed them! Cheers!